We caught up with Geoff, Rhonda, Paul and Sue at the Hare in Loddington today for lunch. We’d originally tried to get in this evening, but they were fully booked! It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas!🙂 Unfortunately, we had to rush off, after about an hour-or-so (as Ann was due at the Job …
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Category:Pub
Family Lunch in Billingborough
We drove to The Fortescue Arms in Billingborough today for lunch with Denis. He was in fine form and, as normal, did the menu justice! Steve PalmerI got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all …
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5ive go to… Liverpool
It’s that time of year, when a few of us Trainers get together for a weekend of culture, food, drink and whatever else comes our way! In previous years we’d been to Stratford-upon-Avon (2012), Bath (2013) and Birmingham (2014). This year it’s Liverpool and a ‘Staycity Serviced Apartment’. Coming along for the experience this time around …
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Gambles in The Feathers
A family day today, as Ann and I blew the dust of the XKR and drove down to Roger, Jane and Oliver’s for lunch and to catch-up with Denis, who had been staying over. A very reasonable 28.8mpg on the way down including some lead-footed ‘magic moments’ to check that the car still accelerated as …
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A Very Pheasant Evening!
After what felt like a very busy week (not bad for a retiree and a senior manager ‘between projects’), it was a perfect evening or a quick drive to one of our fave and local(ish) pub/restaurants – The Pheasant at Keyston. It was a beautiful evening and we even managed to bag a table outside. …
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Father’s Day – 2015
As it’s Father’s Day, Ann and I drove up to the oft-visited Fortescue Arms in Billingborough to meet-up with Denis and Bev for lunch. We took the XKR and it returned 23.5mpg for the round trip of 80-or-so miles. Not bad!Ann, Denis and, oh, the XKR!Denis was in good health, as was Bev who’s become …
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Ireland and back – in less than a day!
With Ann currently ‘between professions’, we took advantage of the good weather and drove over to Bedford to meet Denise M for lunch. Our pub/restaurant of choice was The Black Horse in Ireland, a village about a twenty-minute drive from Bedford. I haven’t been there since May 2011, and it hadn’t changed a bit. First-class …
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A Tale of Two Shuckburghs
In the morning, I popped over to The Olive Grove – a Garden Centre in Oundle, to catch-up with Alison W, a colleague from my days in the 90s at Nokia. This was our first visit, since it opened its expanded eatery – and it didn’t disappoint: great food, great menu and very (very!) pleasant …
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Haddock Grate Time!
Another Friday and another meal out! Our regular monthly eat-outs with David and Val had, in past few months, somehow fallen by the wayside, so we put that right tonight by driving over to The Shuckburgh Arms in Stoke Doyle. David acted as chauffeur in his rather swishy-looking new Mercedes convertible (but, it wasn’t warm …
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Trainers 3 – Elm 1
The One Elm – Stratford Whilst petrol-heads from around the globe went into collective shock over the news of the suspension of the iconic Jeremy Clarkson for punching a BBC Director (allegedly!) – Mags, Ian and I opted for something far less controversial, and got together for our regular three-monthly catch-up and gossip-fest. I parked …
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Family Visit
Ann and I drove up to see Denis today. It was the first time we’ve seen him since his three separate operations involving a pacemaker, two stents and finally a heart valve. He was in pretty good spirits, all things considered, but did look a bit frail. We took him to The Fortescue Arms in …
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Bicester Act
After last night’s takeaway, we kept the Chinese theme going by heading off first thing to Bicester, with David and Valerie – apparently, Bicester is the third most visited UK location by Chinese tourists, after Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. I’m not sure if I believe this factoid, but looking at the gazillions …
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And the Beet Goes On!
We travelled to Heckington today to see Denis – probably our last visit before we see him again on Christmas Day. We took a slightly different route via the nearby villages to try and locate a suitable nearby Pub for lunch. We decided we wouldn’t go to the Fortescue Arms in Billingborough (our normal haunt …
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Lunch with Alison W
Time for my twice-yearly catchup with Alison W, so I drove over to Peterborough heading for the Fox and Hounds. Last time I was there back in September 2013, it was a real challenge actually getting to the Pub itself, because of some very complex roadworks and poor diversion signage (well, that’s my excuse anyway!). …
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5ive Go To… Birmingham
So, here we are again – it’s that time of year, when a few of us Trainers get together for a long weekend of drink, food, drink, drink and culture. We started this now regular event, two years ago in Stratford-upon-Avon, and last year, we visited Bath. It’s the ‘usual suspects’ of Philip P, Antoinette …
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Sleepy Swinford gets a Bang!
A lads’ lunch today! I picked up Geoff B (a colleague from my Sainsbury days) in Irthlingborough and we headed off towards the sleepy village of Swinford – and The Chequers Pub. I haven’t seen Geoff for almost a gazillion years, and the drive to the Pub gave us chance to catch-up with each other’s …
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Fortescue Family!
It was off to The Fortescue Arms in Billingborough today, to meet up with Denis and Bev. We didn’t need much of an excuse, but as it happened it was to celebrate Denis’ birthday earlier in the week. Feeding Time! Phew! What a scorcher! Boy, was it hot!! We sat outside (a first for us …
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Wonderful Wheatsheaf
We picked up Lee and headed for The Wheatsheaf at Titchmarsh for Sunday Lunch. We haven’t been back here for a while, but the food and service was as good as we remember it. Since our last visit, as you can see, they’ve been treating the Yorkshire Puddings with Steroids! Having conquered the batter, we …
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Waiter, there’s a Soup in my Hare!
We met up with David and Valerie and headed for The Hare in Loddington tonight. In spite of our early booking for 7pm, the car-park was already almost full when we arrived (perhaps a good sign?). Inside the Pub, the numbers confirmed the car-park situation – the place was already buzzing! It’s only our second visit …
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Care Hare
You wait for ages for a great eatery to come along and then… (well, you know the rest!) Not content with discovering the Beckworth Emporium on our doorstep last week – tonight, we discovered another local gem. We met up with our friends, Paul and Sue at The Hare in the nearby village, Loddington. They …
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Education, Education… Curry!
I met up with Angela C at King’s Cross and we headed to the Barbican and the Museum of London. This was the first part of our ‘educational’ day in London.The Museum was fab – I haven’t been there for a good 10 years and it’s changed a lot. It was good last time…. but …
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A Fine Fox
Our annual pilgrimage to meet up with Jane and Mick S for pressy-swaps took us back to The Fox Inn in Thorpe Waterville. We’d only been there once before back in April last year, but were so impressed with the food (and the size of the portions), we thought they deserved a return visit! We …
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5ive Go to Bath
After last year’s very enjoyable Trainers Go to… event in beautiful Stratford-upon-Avon, this year, we headed for a weekend in Bath. Carey had to drop-out at the last minute (which was a great shame), but we know she was there in spirit! It was my turn to organise it all and after some initial difficulties …
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The Burger and the Politician
Those of a superstitious nature might have felt that today’s lunch was never meant to happen! I’d agreed to meet up with Alison W in Peterborough for our normal twice-yearly get together. We’d met back in February at The Granary and although the lunch there was ‘OK’ we decided that this time we’d try somewhere …
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Steve and David do the Ivy
A full-on day today! David popped round and we spent an hour or so removing the ivy from the front of the house (a job I’ve been putting off for ages!!!). Then it was off to The Trading Post for lunch. David hadn’t been before, but Ann and I went there around 10 years ago …
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All at Sea
Well… ‘river’ anyway! We picked up Val and joined David, Nick and Celina at Buckden Marina to spend a day on D and V’s boat – Osprey One. It was unusually good weather for a bank holiday – sunshine… and more sunshine! – and the plan was to sail to the nearest pub and have …
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The Fox and the fish
We don’t eat out spontaneously (unless it’s in the diary!), but tonight was an exception. I picked Ann up from Peterborough Station and we headed for The Fox Inn at Thorpe Waterville. We must have driven past it hundreds of times – and it always looked busy – but (Ann) had only managed to eat …
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Easter Sunday – Mum’s
Together with Lee, we drove down to Mum’s to take her out for Lunch. It was a return to the now familiar Toby Carvery at Bromley Common, where we’d taken her a few months back. Being Easter Sunday, and the fact that they don’t take bookings, meant we had to time it just right if …
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Family Meal – The George, Buckden
In spite of the rain, sleet and snow, we picked up Lee and headed for The George at Buckden for a family lunch (minus Bev and Mum!). It was great to get everyone together, and The George is an ideal halfway-house for all of us. It was very busy but food was great and so …
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Hair, Cats and Arms
It was another one of those Saturdays, where there was lots going on (in a good way!). First stop for me was Parkway Hair Salon – and increasingly, the visits, just like my hair are much shorter these days! I got home around 10.15 where Ann took the car and dropped the cats off at …
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